U.K. Top Court Rejects Assange Bid to Block Extradition

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, accused of rape by two Swedish women, has been fighting extradition for 18 months and lost his appeal at the U.K.’s highest court on May 30. Photographer: Geoff Caddick/AFP/Getty Images

June 14 (Bloomberg) -- Julian Assange, founder of the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks, lost his bid to have the U.K.’s top
court reconsider a decision that would allow him to be
extradited to Sweden to face rape allegations.

The Supreme Court dismissed the application by Dinah Rose,
Assange’s lawyer, seeking to re-open the appeal, the court said
in an e-mailed statement today. Rose asked the court June 12 to
re-open the case to consider a European Treaty on extraditions.

Assange, accused of rape by two Swedish women, has fought
being sent to Sweden for 18 months and lost his appeal at the
U.K.’s highest court last month. The court rejected Assange’s
argument the Swedish prosecutor who investigated the sex-assault
claims wasn’t authorized to issue a European arrest warrant.

“If this means that the English side of this is over then
the Swedish defense team will prepare for our part,” said Per
Samuelson, a Swedish lawyer for Assange. “We have spoken to Mr.
Assange several times and are prepared to defend him and we are
convinced that he will leave Sweden a free man.”

Assange, arrested in London in December 2010, may still
appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. The U.K. Supreme
Court stayed extradition proceedings for 14 days to allow him to
seek a final appeal at the Strasbourg, France-based tribunal.

Rose today declined to comment. Gareth Peirce, another
lawyer for Assange, didn’t immediately respond to a call for
comment. Swedish prosecutors Marianne Ny couldn’t immediately be
reached by phone for comment on the ruling.

The allegations against Assange became public around the
same time he posted classified U.S. military and diplomatic
cables on the WikiLeaks website, creating controversy for U.S.
President Barack Obama’s administration. Assange, an Australian,
claimed Sweden fabricated the arrest warrant to assist the U.S.
in punishing him for the breach.